Preview | Colorado Rapids 2 play noon match against St. Louis CITY2

COMMERCE CITY, Colorado – Colorado Rapids 2 (6-13-4, 23 pts.) will face St. Louis CITY2 (14-6-3, 46 pts.) for the third and final time this season on Sunday, September 8. The match is scheduled to kick off at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time and will be broadcast as part of the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

The two teams have already met twice in the 2024 season, with the two teams tied for first place this season, with Colorado coming away with a victory in the opening match of the MLS NEXT Pro season, with Alec Díaz scoring his first goal of the season in a dramatic 2-1 victory, while the second came at the cost of a CITY2 own goal.

The second match proved to be a close game, with St. Louis taking all three points in a 3-2 victory, highlighted by goals from forwards Antony García and Facundo Núñez.

The overall record between the two clubs is 3-1-2 in favor of Colorado, while St. Louis has won just one match in three seasons in the league.

Sunday’s game will prove to be a key victory for the Rapids, as they have very little chance of making the playoffs this year. On the other hand, St. Louis has already secured a spot in the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. The team has qualified for the playoffs in all three seasons of the league’s existence, while Rapids 2 has made just one playoff appearance during its time in MLS NEXT Pro.

Colorado has been showing promising results recently against the top teams in the Western Conference. In their most recent match against North Texas SC, Colorado held on to a 2-0 lead until the 83rd minute.

The scoring started in the 29th minute when First Team duo Sebastian Anderson and Wayne Frederick combined on a free kick to score the first goal of the night, the goal being Frederick’s first regular-season goal since joining the organization as an MLS SuperDraft pick at the start of the 2024 season.

The second goal came in the 62nd minute after a mistake by goalkeeper Antonio Carrera, who scored through the foot of midfielder Robinson Aguirre. The goalkeeper tried to play the ball up the pitch, but Anderson was in the middle of the pitch to read the play and pass it to the unmarked Noah Strellnauer. Strellnauer passed the ball to captain Marlon Vargas, who crossed a short pass to Aguirre, who used it to finish one-time. The goal was Aguirre’s first of the season, and Vargas provided his sixth assist.

North Texas SC eventually came back from two goals down in the final ten minutes of the game, sending both sides to penalties. The hosts earned the extra point on penalties 5-4, sending the Rapids home with one less point.